


Old and New

by esteefee



Series: Fair Trade [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Earth, Disability, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-10
Updated: 2010-01-10
Packaged: 2017-10-19 03:02:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/196153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esteefee/pseuds/esteefee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Old friends and new.  This is a missing scene from early on in the series.</p><p>Please see end notes for warning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old and New

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elderwitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elderwitty/gifts).



> [Podfic read by Wihluta](http://www.audiofic.jinjurly.com/old-and-new).

Rodney came in late hauling his canvas bag filled with odd shapes and colors.

"Come on," John said, "they're already here, and you have no idea how bad Ronon gets when he's hungry."

"I'm sorry," Rodney said primly, "but when shopping for produce you really can't be rushed. And Teyla said she can never find enough variety, so I went digging for something special for her."

"Oh! What did you find at the farmer's market, Rodney?" Teyla sounded very interested, so even though John was starving himself, and had been worried about this little lunch coming together right, he didn't begrudge Rodney the extra half-hour. Especially when he saw the way Rodney's face lit up with satisfaction as he opened his bag and started spilling out his purchases right there on the table in the middle of the café—the weirdest tomatoes John had ever seen, green-striped with red, and yellow striped with green. One that looked like a yellow pepper, almost, and some that were shaped like fat, pale pink pumpkins.

"Heirloom tomatoes," Rodney said smugly, but Teyla was already making noises of delight and holding them up to her nose. Ronon seemed happy too, and was squeezing a couple gently to test their ripeness.

"I bought fresh basil, too, and fresh mozzarella and baguettes. We'll have a caprese salad and toast." He looked up at John. "You'll have to do the cutting, unless you want to bother Ronon here for emergency surgery because I'm absolutely hopeless around a knife and there's sure to be blood."

"It's my day off," Ronon said. He had both feet kicked up on a chair and his arm slung over the back of another. "You'll just have bleed, McKay."

"Seriously! Hippocratic Oath, much, Dex?"

Ronon smirked and got off his ass and started gathering up the tomatoes, cradling them in his arms, bright yellows and reds and greens. Teyla helped, stacking them higher, and John directed him around Ahs and the till to the kitchen counter, where he unloaded them next to the sink.

John loved a good caprese, but these were some seriously weird-assed tomatoes. Who knew what they even tasted like?

"Okay," he said to Rodney once they were washed. "I don't know how the hell to cut these things. They're all such weird shapes." He put all his weight on his good leg and pulled out the best cutting knife.

Rodney moved up behind him and laid his hand on John's bad hip, rubbing there lightly. He rested his chin on John's shoulder and said, his voice low in John's ear, "What's the number today?"

Tilting his head briefly to press his cheek against Rodney's soft hair, John said, "'Bout a five. It's fine." He picked up the first tomato, a plump, yellow thing with veins of red shooting down the sides, like a child's balloon ball, and sliced it through. The smell was awesome, tart and sweet, and it made his mouth water.

Rodney pulled out a big bowl and set it on the counter for John to drop the slices into.

"Find the olive oil? It's under there." John pointed with the knife.

He stopped mid-cutting to mash some of the fresh basil into the olive oil, bruising the leaves with the bottom of the bottle. Rodney was making soft sounds of happiness next to him, and John had to slap his pilfering hand away more than once. It always ended up sneaking under the strings of John's apron to stroke the skin under John's T-shirt, so John didn't complain, even though it was awfully distracting.

But the whole point of this lunch was for Rodney to spend more time with Teyla and Ronon, so John told Rodney to put the slices of baguette into the toaster oven and then nonchalantly sent him back out to quiet the masses, who kept wondering in louder and louder voices when lunch was going to be ready, just like little kids after football practice.

When the toast was done, John finally brought out the tray, the colorful slices of tomato alternating with the fresh mozzarella and the basil leaves. Someone, probably Ahs, had served up fresh cups of coffee for everyone, except Teyla, who had a half a cup of chai by her elbow, and they sat for half a second admiring the spread before they all lunged.

Around them, a few customers sitting at the surrounding tables seemed to be staring in wistful envy, but John couldn't care less at that moment because his taste buds were on full overload.

"Oh my God so good," Rodney said, or mumbled around a mouth stuffed with bread, cheese and tomato, and Teyla just nodded, more politely, but her cheeks were bulging like a chipmunk's. Ronon was already on his second round, and had at least two slices of toast packed in—John had watched in awe as he methodically laid toast, cheese, tomato, cheese, basil and then toast into a mini-sandwich and then stuck the entire construction in his mouth.

It did taste incredible, John had to admit. He'd never had tomatoes that tasted like this. Not waxy or acrid, but sweet and tangy at the same time, and the basil was so flavorful and pungent it was filling his nose and mouth with its scent.

Some more customers walked in, but Ahs had the till so John stilled his reflex to jump up. However, it reminded him he had to go check on the roasters. He grabbed a couple more slices of tomato—the yellow with red ones turned out to be his favorites—and mozzarella and dropped them on his plate, gave Rodney a look of warning— _mine_ —and pushed himself up to limp to the back.

"Ahs, make sure you get some of that before it's all gone," he said as he passed the till.

"I will try, yes. But I am afraid of the ravening beasts," Ahs said, brown eyes blinking innocently. John grinned.

When he returned there were a couple more of the yellow with red tomato slices on his plate. Rodney gave him a sweet smile that John returned helplessly.

"Okay. That's just weird," Ronon said, but his voice was approving.

"What?"

"Him. He actually gave you some of his food."

"You're right; that is weird."

Rodney spluttered. Teyla let out a little giggle and then patted Rodney's cheek affectionately.

"Thank you for the tomatoes, Rodney. They are the best I've ever tasted."

"Yeah. Thanks, McKay."

John reached over and gripped the back of Rodney's neck to give him a little shake as his own thanks. Because Rodney obviously liked his friends—enough that he'd made a special effort for Teyla, and easily joked around with Ronon. And they seemed to like him back. Not that John was worried they wouldn't. But sometimes friends didn't get along, even when you liked them both.

That wasn't the case here, though, and John was just glad, that was all. They all blended together pretty much perfectly.

The old flavors and the new.

  
_End._

**Author's Note:**

> John is partially disabled due to injury. We do hope he will recover.


End file.
